NETWORK UNIVERSITY OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

The article deals with the urgent problem of the development of the countries' inter-university cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the present stage in the context of their humanitarian cooperation. The realities of the globalizing world suppose the development of interaction between people who are at great distances from each other and who have different identities. Interdependence of cultures, increasing economic cooperation and many other factors require appropriate changes in educational policy. The links between universities from different countries, their cooperation, the realization of joint educational projects mean the transition of education to a new level, from the national to the truly "global education" format. The SCO countries are allies and have established close political cooperation in most of the spheres. In the field of education, the parties also actively develop cooperation, while simultaneously implementing projects of different format. The object of scientific research of the authors is the project of the network "University of SCO", which reflects the vision of the parties on integration in the humanitarian sphere, the convergence of national education systems and the development of intercultural communication. At the present moment, the University has united 79 national universities of the SCO countries, becoming a leading phenomenon in the field of education, proving the possibility of successful practical scientific and intercultural interaction of peoples with different cultural traditions, religious beliefs, political and economic systems. At the same time, the University's activity meets certain difficulties, it is limited to just a few key areas, its expansion and the creation of a full-scale University is a major task for the development of the integration of the SCO countries in education sphere. The authors analyse the development process of the University from its creation in 2008 to the present day, identify the existing problems and provide recommendatory measures, the adoption and implementation of which are necessary for the further progress of the system.